Four or five subspecies are recognized, which vary in the colour shade of the neck collar and breast: The average white-fronted plover weighs approximately 45-50 g, and the two sexes differ slightly in plumage coloration.

[3] Juveniles have similar markings to adult females, but always lack the crown band altogether, and there is no black colouration on the head- lores are brown.

[6] The white-fronted plover has both resident and partially migratory populations, with some birds undertaking local seasonal movements.

[7] The coastal populations are largely sedentary, but occasionally move to more sheltered shores from exposed areas during harsh winters.

Prey can be pecked from the surface of water, or caught with shallow jabs, inserting less than half of the bill into the substratum.

Another method used to forage is foot-trembling, which involves vibrating the toes on substratum to disturb small insects or force invertebrates to the surface.

The main prey of the white-fronted plover are sand flies, grasshoppers, termites, mosquito pupae, fairy shrimp, gastropods, bivalves, isopods, crabs, and other small crustaceans and worms.

[4][5] Plovers mainly forage in the upper half of the intertidal zone on sandy beaches, along high water lines and flooded depressions of dunes in summer.

[4][5] The white-fronted plover is a monogamous solitary breeder with a life expectancy of approximately 12 years, although there is evidence that individuals can live much longer than this.

[4][11][8] Courtship displays include male plovers performing an upright posture accompanied by high stepping movements, while females lower their head.

Defensive behaviour often consists of low-level aerial attack, running at the intruder with lowered head, or aggressive forward-hunched postures.

[11] The typical white-fronted plover nest consists of a small shallow scrape in sand, gravel, or shingle, depending on the environment, and is sometimes lined with shell fragments, pebbles, seaweed or twigs.

Egg laying dates vary between populations, which nest all year round on the coast but only from December to January in inland Namibia.

Egg covering was not found to occur during normal breaks in incubation of the nest but only in response to a threat, and rarely at night.

If a predator or threat is near, adults with chicks or eggs near hatching date will perform distraction displays such as ‘rodent running’ and ‘injury feigning’.

Injury feigning consists of the individual running or cowering on the ground whilst flapping one or both wings, with a partly spread tail.

[15][16] In Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique, an extensive recession of the species’ inland range has taken place due to changes to river morphologies resulting from dam constructions.

[16] In Ghana, coastal erosion as well as proposed development involving drainage and land reclamation constitute a big threat for wetlands used as breeding habitat.

[17] Major causes of nest loss in some regions are flooding due to spring tides[18] and disturbance from tourists or off-road vehicles that drive through the breeding sites.